News
The best stories from the CinemaNerdz News Desk and our independently opinionated reporters.
Weekend Box-Office: Apes Still in Charge
Truly, the planet is going to the apes…Rise of the Planet of the Apes held the top spot for the second week in a row, earning an estimated $27.5 million in weekend take. In only two weeks, the critically-acclaimed film has already broken the $100 million barrier in domestic gross, and even the typical drop in revenue from week to week was noticeably small, with a less than 50% loss. 2nd and 3rd pl...[Read More]
Weekend Box-Office: Apes Rise to the Top
Last week, we had two films that went neck and neck during the weekend estimates (contrary to my original assessment, Cowboys & Aliens was the winner by a little over $800K). This week, there is no comparison…Rise of the Planet of the Apes was the big winner, taking the top spot with an estimated $54 million. The PG-13 science fiction film, with CGI apes motion-captured by Andy Serkis (he of G...[Read More]
Weekend Box-Office: The Smurfs and Cowboys & Aliens Tied?
It’s one thing for a film to take the top spot, but two films at the same time? Newcomers Cowboys & Aliens and The Smurfs both took the estimated top spot this weekend, earning approximately $36.2 million each…however, with a higher average at a smaller number of theaters and 3-D ticket sales, The Smurfs may end up being the big winner once the final numbers are counted. On the minus side, the...[Read More]
Weekend Box-Office: Captain America: The First Avenger Knocks Down the Competition
Despite its record-smashing debut last weekend, not even a parade of Wingardium Leviosa spells could keep the boy wizard in the top spot a second time…Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 fell to second place behind the debut of Marvel’s newest comic book-to-film adaptation Captain America: The First Avenger. The story of weakling-turned-superman Steve Rogers and his fight to safeguard Ame...[Read More]
Weekend Box-Office: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 Smashes Box Office and Records
Move over, Transformers…Harry Potter is back, and is cleaning up all over the place. Not only did Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 take the weekend with $168.6 million, it also managed to land the #1 spot in numerous categories, including best opening day and best opening weekend of all time. With nearly $500 million worldwide, in one weekend it has made half of Pirates of the Caribbea...[Read More]
Weekend Box-Office: Transformers: Dark of the Moon Reigns Supreme!
Opening a film on a Wednesday, during a holiday weekend, can really give you a leg up…Transformers: Dark of the Moon did a fine job bringing in ticket sales, even if its critical reception left a lot to be desired. During the 4-day weekend, it made $116.4 million (and $181.1 million including the Wednesday and Thursday receipts). Not only is it the highest-earning film opening on Independence Day ...[Read More]
Weekend Box-Office: Cars 2 Revs Up the Green
From boom to bust…Green Lantern was handily dethroned atop the box office by two newcomers. Cars 2 led the contention this weekend, the Disney/Pixar production showing a strong opening with $68 million for the top spot. Behind it came the Cameron Diaz comedy Bad Teacher with $31 million. Both films are receiving poor grades, remarkable especially for Cars 2, considering Pixar’s almost stellar trac...[Read More]
Weekend Box-Office: Green Lantern Brings in the Green
As one superhero falls, another rises to take his place. Thor may have just slipped off the Top Ten, but the number one film of the weekend was Green Lantern, with $52.7 million. The $200 million blockbuster suffers from poor reviews and, despite the 3D ticket sales, managed to take in less than 2D-only fourth-place finisher X-Men: First Class (garnering $11.5 million this weekend) made three week...[Read More]
Weekend Box-Office: Super 8 Rolling Into First
Not really much of a surprise, considering the names attached to the project; Steven Spielberg and J.J. Abrams monstrous Super 8 took on all challengers and earned the top spot this week, with $37 million…a bit of a drop from last week’s top earner X-Men: First Class, which dropped to 2nd place with $25 million. On the other hand, Super 8 has the distinct advantage of costing nearly a third as muc...[Read More]
Weekend Box-Office: X-Men: First Class Earning Top Marks
It’s the post-Memorial Day crunch, and boy, are the top earners from last week mostly feeling the burn. To begin, X-Men: First Class took the weekend’s top spot with $56 million. Despite glowing reviews from critics and theater-goers alike, this top spot is actually weak earnings for the X-Men franchise; accounting for inflation, it made less money in its opening weekend than the original X-Men di...[Read More]
Weekend Box-Office: The Hangover Part II Hangs Over All Comers
It may be almost the same story as the last one, and according to critics, not as well told, but Memorial Day was a good time to be suffering from a blackout…The Hangover Part II pushed aside all competition, earning a total of $105.7 million during the holiday weekend. The original film had only a 3-day weekend in its initial release and steadily grew in popularity with word of mouth, but the ope...[Read More]
Weekend Box-Office: Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides Sails into First; Bridesmaids Still Second In Line
Despite the dismal reviews and less revenue in its first weekend than its predecessors (that’s including the added markup of 3-D), Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides still showed very strong over the weekend, earning $90.1 million and taking the top spot at the box office. Even so, Johnny Depp and company have helmed a steady ship overseas; the $250 million budget has been covered in the ...[Read More]